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GMA Network
20 hours ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
US issues 'worldwide caution' for Americans over Mideast conflict
A general view of the US Department of State in Washington D.C., March 4, 2025. REUTERS/ Nathan Howard WASHINGTON - The US State Department issued a "worldwide caution" for Americans on Sunday, saying the conflict in the Middle East could put those traveling or living abroad at an increased security risk. "There is the potential for demonstrations against US citizens and interests abroad," and "the Department of State advises US citizens worldwide to exercise increased caution," said the State Department's security alert. —Agence France-Presse
Economic Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Economic Times
Tanks, thunder, and Trump: The military parade that split America
Reuters A Stryker armored vehicle is being prepared for a military parade to commemorate the U.S. Army's 250th Birthday in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 14, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard Amid traffic jams, military flyovers, and thousands of troops marching down Constitution Avenue, the United States Army celebrated its 250th anniversary on Saturday. But it wasn't just about history. It was also President Donald Trump's 79th birthday — a detail that has split public opinion and overshadowed the event's original scale was massive: 6,700 soldiers, 150 vehicles including tanks and howitzers, and more than 50 aircraft. Fighter jets, including the Air Force's Thunderbirds — a last-minute addition at Trump's request — were among the parade's highlights.'I think it's time for us to celebrate a little bit. You know, we've had a lot of victories,' Trump said earlier in the week. 'It is my birthday, but I'm not celebrating my birthday,' he insisted, pointing instead to Flag Day. It was the first national military parade of this scale since 1991, when troops returned home victorious from the Gulf War. Among the highlights: tanks on urban roads, a White House parachute flag-drop, and a flyover. Trump, stationed at his own reviewing stand, called it 'a celebration of our country' and 'of the Army, actually.' But protests are mounting, weather warnings loomed, and concerns about the parade's cost and purpose deepened — especially as it occurred while the U.S. military engages in controversial operations at home and abroad. The idea took root last year. At a long-running Army pageant called the 'Twilight Tattoo,' General Randy George and Army spokesperson Col. Dave Butler were hosting media executives when one leaned over and said, 'This would make great television,' according to there, things escalated. The Army was already looking for ways to mark its milestone. The suggestion of turning their ceremonial show into a full-blown parade landed without resistance.'We wanted to reintroduce this nation's Army to the American people,' Butler said. 'To do that, we thought we needed to be in their living rooms and on their phones. We needed something that would catch the national eye.'With Trump's interest piqued — a former media executive who had previously tried and failed to stage a military parade — the door opened. 'It was like knocking on an unlocked door,' said one planning everyone is clapping.A poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center shows nearly 60% of Americans think the parade is a poor use of government money. The Army has estimated its own logistics could cost up to $45 million. Security, air traffic closures, and city disruptions will drive the price higher.'I remain concerned about it, I have to tell you,' said Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. 'These are, for the most part, local streets, and if they're rendered unusable, we have to make them usable and then go seek our money from the feds.'The city is already bracing for road closures, suspended flights, and potential damage to infrastructure. Tanks have been spotted rolling down Rhode Island Avenue, escorted by police. Steel plates and rubber pads have been deployed along the route to mitigate damage, according to Army spokesperson Heather J. Hagan, who said the expected road damage would be 'minimal.'The backlash hasn't been limited to cost. Democrat Senator Tammy Duckworth, a former Army officer, called the parade 'Donald Trump's birthday parade,' accusing the president of exploiting the event for his own image. 'It's to stroke his own ego and make taxpayers foot the bill,' she said. Critics have compared the event to military displays in Russia or North Korea — performative demonstrations of power under authoritarian regimes. Local advisory commissioners have passed resolutions calling for the parade's cancellation, saying it reflects 'authoritarian governments more than democracies.'Samuel Port, a former Army logistics officer and now unemployed contractor, summed up a common sentiment: 'Trump is using this as an excuse to prop himself up. It demeans the soldiers because it's using them as a political prop.'The parade comes at a sensitive time. Just one day earlier, the United States began assisting Israel's defence against Iranian missile attacks. And earlier in the week, Trump deployed both National Guard and Marine forces to Southern California to suppress protests against immigration raids. The president bypassed state authority in doing so, drawing legal and political scrutiny. 'The President is deploying the American military to police the American people,' Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.), top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, told Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth during hearings this week. 'Sending the Marines — not after foreign threats, but after American protesters... should stop every one of us cold.' According to a new NBC News/Decision Desk poll released Saturday morning, 64% of Americans disapprove of the parade. Many cite both the financial burden and the optics of military power being used domestically.'I wouldn't have done it,' said Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.), likening the display to Soviet-era demonstrations. 'We were proud not to be that.'The parade also drew comparisons to past authoritarian spectacles. Trump, who has long admired large-scale military demonstrations, first pushed for a parade of this kind after visiting France's Bastille Day celebration in 2017. That effort stalled during his first term, but the 250th Army anniversary provided the perfect say this was not merely about honouring service. 'It's a stupid order,' said retired Rear Admiral Ken Carodine. 'But it's a legal order. Most of the guys organising or marching in this thing, it's the last thing they want to be doing.' Presidential historian Barbara Perry from the University of Virginia noted the personalisation of the event. 'Usually it's about the personnel,' she said. 'If [Trump] views it as 'his generals' or 'his military,' and ties it to his birthday — that's what's different.' Trump, however, insists the parade is not about him. 'It will be a parade like we haven't had in many, many decades here,' he said this week. 'And it's a celebration of our country.'Despite forecasts warning of heavy rain and possible thunderstorms, federal officials opted to proceed with the event as scheduled. The parade was set to begin at 6:30 p.m., following a day of commemorations along the National Trump, the parade marks a symbolic high point following his return to the presidency in the 2024 elections. Supporters see it as a reaffirmation of strength and patriotism. But detractors view it as a diversion from failed foreign policy pledges, especially regarding the wars in Ukraine and president had campaigned on promises to end these conflicts. But the parade's timing — against the backdrop of ongoing deployments and incomplete missions — raises questions about whether the event is celebrating victory, or distracting from the lack of have erupted in Washington and across the country, organised under the slogan 'No Kings.' Activists accuse the president of using military force to bolster his own has warned protesters that they 'will be met with very big force,' echoing his broader posture on dissent. That rhetoric has only intensified criticism that the commander-in-chief is merging military spectacle with authoritarian leaders are also frustrated. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser expressed concerns over costs and disruptions. Neighbourhood commissioners passed resolutions calling the parade 'a grotesque spectacle.' And with tanks rolling through streets that recently saw the forced removal of homeless encampments, many see the juxtaposition as deliberate.'It's appalling that we're spending $45 million on a parade after kicking out the most vulnerable residents of our neighbourhood,' said local commissioner Jim the parades following the Civil War, World Wars I and II, or even Desert Storm — all tied to clear victories — this event lacks a unifying triumph.'The U.S. is not coming off any war victory,' said Carodine. 'Nobody had a parade for the kids coming back from Afghanistan. That would have made a lot more sense than what we're doing tomorrow.'America's recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have left a mixed legacy. The Afghanistan conflict formally ended in 2021 under a deal negotiated by Trump and executed by President Joe Biden. Many veterans returned home quietly, without recognition or some, this parade is a missed opportunity — one that honours political ambition more than military service.
Toronto Sun
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
U.S. to revoke Chinese student visas in escalating crackdown
Published May 29, 2025 • 6 minute read Marco Rubio, U.S. secretary of state, during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs hearing in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. Photo by Nathan Howard / Bloomberg The U.S. plans to start 'aggressively' revoking visas for Chinese students, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, escalating the Trump administration's push for greater scrutiny of foreigners attending American universities. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Rubio said in a statement that students affected would include 'those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.' The U.S. will also enhance scrutiny 'of all future visa applications from the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong,' he added. China had the second most students in the U.S. of any country in 2024, behind India. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning accused the U.S. of taking its decision 'under the pretext of ideology and national security' at a regular briefing in Beijing on Thursday, adding that it would harm people-to-people relations. 'Such a politicized and discriminatory move lays bare the U.S. lie behind the so-called freedom and openness that the U.S. touts,' she added. 'It will only further undermine its image in the world and national reputation.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The decision comes just weeks after the U.S. and China negotiated a truce in their tariff war. The issue of revoking visas could now emerge as another flashpoint between the world's two biggest economies, potentially upending progress made on trade. It will also add to heightened tensions over sales to China of sophisticated chips and Beijing's determination to limit U.S. access to rare earths, which have been simmering even after the breakthrough agreement in Geneva to sharply lower tariffs for 90 days as officials try to strike a broader deal. 'This action intends to build a wall between two countries,' said Wu Xinbo, director at Fudan University's Center for American Studies in Shanghai. 'I don't think it will help facilitate the forthcoming trade talks between two sides.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The move followed Rubio's order a day earlier instructing U.S. embassies worldwide to stop scheduling interviews for student visas as the administration weighs stricter vetting of applicants' social-media profiles. It marks yet another effort by President Donald Trump's push to restrict foreign students' entry to American schools over claims that they might threaten U.S. national security. The White House has waged a high-stakes battle with universities that initially focused on elite universities such as Harvard and Columbia over antisemitism. That has turned into a bigger attack over the role of U.S. higher education and the foreign students whose tuition is a crucial source of income for schools around the country. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'For the ones that really can make a contribution, want to make a difference, we want to make it possible for them to come here and bring their great ideas, bring their great intellect and help us build a great America,' Nvidia Corp. Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. 'I think the administration is all in on that and I don't think anything they have said changes that.' The scrutiny of Chinese students and researchers in the U.S. in recent years dates back to Trump's first term, as part of a broader attack on China's ties in the U.S. The Trump administration announced in 2020 that the Confucius Institute U.S. Center, a program funded by the Chinese government that's dedicated to teaching Chinese language and culture in the US, had to register as a 'foreign mission,' making it subject to administrative requirements similar to those for embassies and consulates. Later the same year, the U.S. revoked the visas of more than 1,000 Chinese students and researchers for national security reasons. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In 2018, the Justice Department created a project to investigate and prosecute Chinese and Chinese-American researchers it said were stealing American secrets while hiding their links to the government in Beijing and to the People's Liberation Army. Known as the 'China Initiative,' the program was shut down four years later after coming under intense criticism for fanning discrimination against Asian-Americans. The visa restrictions announced on Wednesday extend a broader crackdown underway since Trump reclaimed the White House this year. Hours earlier, the U.S. president said Harvard should cap foreign student enrollment at 15%, escalating his campaign to force policy changes at the elite institution. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The State Department extended its scrutiny of those at Harvard beyond student visas to all visa holders, including those with business and tourist documents, a person with knowledge of the matter said. Rubio told senators last week that the number of revoked student visas is 'probably in the thousands at this point,' adding that 'a visa's not a right — it's a privilege.' International students accounted for 5.9% of the total U.S. higher education population of almost 19 million. In the 2023-2024 school year, more than 1.1 million foreign students came to the US, with India and China accounting for about half, according to the Institute of International Education. Last year, America sold a net $32 billion in services to China — including education, travel and entertainment — more than double the amount in 2022 and accounting for 11% of the nearly $300 billion global total. Almost a third of U.S. services exports to China were related to education, coming from tuition and living expenses for the Chinese students studying in the US. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The number of Chinese students has declined in the U.S. — it fell 4% to about 277,000 students in 2024 — amid increased tension between the two adversaries. The FBI has warned that China has sought to exploit 'America's deeply held and vital culture of collaboration and openness on university campuses.' The State Department is also clamping down more on foreigners seeking to come to the U.S. more broadly as part of Trump's crackdown on immigration. Earlier Wednesday, Rubio announced visa restrictions on foreign officials and other individuals who 'censor Americans,' including those who target American technology companies. Taking action against people with links to the Chinese Communist Party is a sweeping measure, given the role it plays in the lives of Chinese people and institutions, including universities and enterprises. While just under 100 million people count as members of the party, its reach is so pervasive that the number of those who can be said to have ties with it runs into multiples of that figure. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. What happens next is less clear. During his visit to the U.S. to meet with then President Joe Biden, Chinese leader Xi Jinping pledged to bring 50,000 young Americans to China to stabilize ties over a period of five years. That he's lent his name to such an effort could suggest China will be less inclined to engage in tit-for-tat by targeting American students in China. Even if it did, that number is minuscule, with the U.S. State Department saying in April last year the figure was fewer than 900 students. In the past, the two sides vented their fury at one another by closing consulates. China shuttered the U.S. consulate in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu. That came just days after the U.S. government forced their Chinese counterparts out of their mission in Houston in 2020. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But this time, China has other options. Neil Thomas, a fellow for Chinese politics at the Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis, said a possible response may be indirect, such as new export controls on critical minerals. 'Beijing is increasingly realizing the power of its export control regime to apply pressure on global supply chains and Western political leaders,' he said. 'Beijing will be angry and ask more questions about how successful the Geneva talks really were at laying the groundwork for a US-China deal.' — With assistance from James Mayger, Derek Wallbank, Yasufumi Saito and Philip Glamann. Sunshine Girls Toronto & GTA Sunshine Girls Columnists Tennis
Straits Times
25-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Tech bros are facing the end of the ‘technipolar moment'
U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he attends commencement ceremony at West Point Military Academy in West Point, New York, U.S., May 24, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard REUTERS For intellectuals of a certain bent, no game is more absorbing than discovering the 'real' power behind the throne. Who is pulling the strings? What class interests does the regime serve? Who is 'really' in charge? Such questions inspire learned disquisitions as well as conspiracy theories. So far, the favourite target when it comes to the Trump administration is the tech industry. Mr Ian Bremmer, the head of the Eurasia Group, a political consultancy, talks about the 'technipolar moment' and the 'frightening fusion of tech power and state power'. Mr Steve Bannon, US President Donald Trump's former adviser, laments the influence of 'technofeudal globalists bent on turning Americans into digital serfs'. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
06-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Palantir raises annual revenue forecast on booming AI demand
FILE PHOTO: Signage for Palantir is seen during the Association of the United States Army annual meeting and exposition at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, U.S., October 14, 2024. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo (Reuters) -Data and analytics firm Palantir Technologies raised its annual sales forecast on Monday, betting on strong demand for its products that help businesses adopt generative AI technology. Palantir has benefited from a boom in the adoption of GenAI technology as enterprises leverage the company's expertise in managing and analyzing data to help train and run new AI apps using its platform. The Denver, Colorado-based company now expects revenue in fiscal year 2025 between $3.89 billion and $3.90 billion, up from its earlier forecast of sales between $3.74 billion and $3.76 billion. Analysts on average expect $3.75 billion in annual sales, according to data from LSEG. Palantir's shares are up more than 60% this year, widely outperforming the benchmark S&P 500 Index, which is down more than 3%, as investors expect the company to benefit from AI deployment and government spending on defense-related tech even as global markets falter because of trade-related uncertainties. Co-founded by tech billionaire Peter Thiel, Palantir has been increasingly diversifying into commercial applications as it works to reduce its dependence on government spending. Palantir now expects U.S. businesses to drive more than $1.18 billion in sales this year, up from its earlier expectation of more than $1.08 billion. It also forecast second-quarter revenue above estimates. Still, a significant portion of Palantir's sales is led by its services for governments, such as supplying software that visualizes the position of troops in a battle. The company's early financial backers included the CIA's venture arm, In-Q-Tel. The U.S. government represented more than 42% of revenue in the three months ended March 31. Total sales of $883.9 million during that period beat estimates of $862.8 million. Big U.S. government contractors such as Accenture and IBM have flagged a hit to their businesses from cost-cutting efforts by President Donald Trump's administration mostly through the Department of Government Efficiency. During an interview with Reuters, Palantir's executives did not directly address questions on whether DOGE spending cuts, spearheaded by billionaire Elon Musk, would impact the company's contracts. "Focus on efficiency is excellent for Palantir. We very much support a push by the U.S. government to push on efficiency across the government," finance chief David Glazer told Reuters. (Reporting by Arsheeya Bajwa in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva)
