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Indian Express
12 hours ago
- Business
- Indian Express
As US eyes its airspace, Pakistan confirms: Trump, Munir had discussion on Iran
As anticipated by Delhi, US President Donald Trump and Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir had a 'detailed exchange of views' on the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict when they met over lunch at the White House. In a statement Thursday, the Pakistan Army said, 'A detailed exchange of views also took place on the prevailing tensions between Iran and Israel, with both leaders emphasising the importance of resolution of the conflict.' Asked if Iran was discussed with Munir, Trump said: 'Well, they know Iran very well, better than most, and they are not happy about anything.' 'It's not that they are bad with Israel. They know them both, actually, but they probably, maybe they know Iran better, but they see what's going on, and he agreed with me,' he said. In Islamabad, the Pakistan Army said the US President showed 'keen interest' in developing a mutually beneficial trade relationship with Pakistan on the basis of long-term strategic interests. According to Delhi's assessment, the US is enlisting Rawalpindi's support since it would want to use Pakistan's airspace, air bases and other infrastructure for launching any military offensive on Iran. This was the key focus of Trump's lunch with Munir which, according to sources, lasted for about two hours, and not one hour as scheduled. According to news agency Reuters, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said Trump was hosting Munir after he called for the US President to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for preventing a nuclear war between India and Pakistan. But sources indicated that the meeting was not arranged through routine diplomatic channels, and was the outcome of 'unorthodox efforts' by a group of advisers, businessmen and other influential figures. Sources said stronger counter-terrorism cooperation, engagement with crypto-linked influence networks, and targeted lobbying via Republican-aligned firms in Washington helped Pakistan secure the meeting. A source, who has been tracking the US-Pakistan relationship over decades, said, 'It is not rare but absolutely unprecedented for a military chief to be invited by a POTUS (President of the United States) for a meeting, let alone a meeting over a meal. All Pakistan military chiefs who visited the US and other capitals did so as Presidents.' In the past, US President George W Bush met Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf in 2004. Munir's US visit began last Sunday and was his second since he took over as military chief in 2022. Trump was effusive about both Munir and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said he was 'honoured' to meet Munir and that they discussed the situation arising out of the Iran-Israel conflict. 'The reason I had him here, I want to thank him for not going into the war, ending the war (with India). And I want to thank, as you know, Prime Minister Modi,' he said. 'We are working on a trade deal with India. We are working on a trade deal with Pakistan.' Trump also recalled his meeting with Modi at the White House in February. He said he was 'happy' that 'two very smart people decided not to keep going with that war'. 'That could have been a nuclear war. Those are two nuclear powers, big ones, big, big nuclear powers, and they decided (to end the conflict),' he said. The US President was accompanied at the meeting by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Special Representative for the Middle East Steve Witkoff. Munir was joined by Pakistan National Security Advisor Lt Gen Asim Malik, who is also head of the spy agency ISI. Earlier, in his phone conversation with Trump, Modi had told the President that India and Pakistan halted their military actions following direct talks between the two militaries without any mediation by the US. The Pakistan Army, in its statement on the Trump-Munir meeting, said, the 'Chief of Army Staff conveyed the deep appreciation of the government and people of Pakistan for President Trump's constructive and result-oriented role in facilitating a ceasefire between Pakistan and India in the recent regional crisis. The COAS acknowledged President Trump's statesmanship and his ability to comprehend and address the multifaceted challenges faced by the global community.' 'President Trump, in turn, lauded Pakistan's ongoing efforts for regional peace and stability, and appreciated the robust counter-terrorism cooperation between the two states. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to continued collaboration in the field of counter-terrorism,' it said. 'Discussions also encompassed avenues for expanding bilateral cooperation in multiple domains including trade, economic development, mines and minerals, artificial intelligence, energy, cryptocurrency, and emerging technologies. President Trump expressed keen interest in forging a mutually beneficial trade partnership with Pakistan based on long-term strategic convergence and shared interests,' it said. 'In a gesture reflecting the warmth of bilateral ties, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir extended an invitation to President Trump, on behalf of the Government of Pakistan, to undertake an official visit to Pakistan at a mutually convenient date'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump: Immigration crackdown to focus on NYC, other ‘crime-ridden inner cities'
President Donald Trump vowed Monday to focus his immigration crackdown on so-called 'crime ridden inner cities' like New York after he ordered an end to controversial workplace raids on farms, restaurants and hotels amid complaints from big businesses. As immigration protests roil the nation, Trump said on his social media site that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents 'must expand efforts to detain and deport illegal aliens in America's largest cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York.' 'I want them to focus on the cities. I look at New York, I look at Chicago, the city's been overrun by criminals,' Trump said at the G7 summit in Alberta, Canada. 'Most of those (undocumented immigrants) are in the cities, all blue cities,' he added, flanked by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. 'They think they're going to use them to vote,' he said, citing no evidence to back his claims. It's not going to happen.' Trump claimed the shift is needed because New York and other big cities are the 'core of the Democrat power center.' It wasn't immediately clear if Trump's announcement might lead to more immigration enforcement on the streets of New York and other big cities, which can be difficult and dangerous to successfully execute. Trump's tough talk reflects increasing divisions within his base of support over the mass deportation push, which threatens to inflict significant damage on the U.S. economy, especially industries that rely on undocumented immigrants for a big share of their low-wage labor. Even as Trump's projects a hardline stance, the White House last week directed immigration officers to pause arrests at farms, restaurants and hotels after Trump expressed alarm about the impact aggressive enforcement is having on those industries. Trump conceded Thursday that he heard from hotel, agriculture and leisure industries that his 'very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers away from them' and promised that unspecified 'big changes' would be made. That same day Tatum King, an official with ICE's Homeland Security Investigations unit, wrote to regional leaders telling them to halt investigations of the agriculture industry, including meatpackers, as well as of restaurants and hotels, all of which employ millions of undocumented immigrants. The apparent backtracking from the aggressive mass deportation push has sparked divisions within Trump's MAGA movement, with some far right-wing figures urging him not to back down. White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, a key hardliner and the main architect of Trump's immigration policies, said ICE officers would seek to make at least 3,000 arrests a day. That would amount to a massive increase from the average of 650 a day during the first five months of Trump's second term, a number that is similar to the pace of arrests during former President Joe Biden's rule. But powerful Republican-aligned business groups, along with moderate and farm-state GOP lawmakers, are urging Trump to ease the crackdown to avoid further damaging the fragile U.S. economy, which is already facing uncertainty stemming from his still-expanding trade war.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MAGA News Anchors Host a Pity Party for the Trump-Musk Split
Republican-aligned news anchors held a wake for Donald Trump and Elon Musk's bromance on Thursday. As the two billionaires feuded over the 'big, beautiful bill' and Trump's associations with Jeffrey Epstein, thoughts and prayers on MAGA networks went out—to both of them. Will Cain was the first Fox News host to cover Musk's tantalizing accusation on Thursday that Trump is named in the government's files on the pedophile, which Musk claimed is the reason why Attorney General Pam Bondi has not released the documents. The bombshell came after the two traded barbs throughout Thursday over the spending package, which Musk opposes. Trump suggested earlier on Thursday that Musk may suffer from 'Trump derangement syndrome' and that Musk had gone 'CRAZY!' Cain said on The Will Cain Show that the saga was 'not a story that we wanted today for America.' 'Seems a rubicon that Elon Musk has crossed that it appears it's hard to see a path forward for these two to repair their relationship,' Cain said. 'This is not a story that anyone was looking for—perhaps somewhat predictable with two big personalities—but not a story that we wanted today for America." The sadness continued on The Five, where panelists Greg Gutfeld and Kayleigh McEnany lamented the breakdown. Gutfeld said the feud was a 'battle between the purists and the pragmatists.' 'I don't like it,' Gutfeld said. 'I want it to stop. I want to tell them, if they are both watching: Knock it off. We're done with this.' McEnany also took issue with Musk's claim that, if he had not donated more than $300 million to help support Trump, Trump would have lost the election. 'President Trump won all of the swing states, he is the first person in the Republican Party to win the popular vote in 20 years,' McEnany said, touting his electoral accomplishments. 'No amount of money bought that. What bought that was a movement.' 'I think it's a sad thing to see,' she added. 'I don't want to see the adults fighting, but I do think this was predictable.' The schism between the U.S. president and the world's richest man rippled among Republicans on Thursday, with many of its media personalities figuring out how to balance Musk's financial contributions to the party with their overwhelming support of Trump. Podcast host Megyn Kelly told fellow conservative podcaster Stu Burguiere before the Epstein accusation on Thursday that she hoped Musk would eventually come around to the 'big, beautiful bill.' Musk has derided the mega bill as a 'disgusting abomination.' 'It's so much better for America, I think, to have Elon on board with the Trump agenda,' Kelly said on Thursday's episode of The Megyn Kelly Show. 'It does not serve us at all to have him supporting Democrats.' But Kelly conceded that Trump likely won't let Musk's claim that his support won Trump the election go. 'There's zero chance Trump's going to let 'you would have lost the election without me' lie,' Kelly said. 'It's about to get ugly,' she added. Trump has not responded to the Epstein accusation, but he tried to brush off the friendship on Truth Social while advocating for the spending package, which the Senate is reviewing. 'I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago,' Trump wrote.
The Herald Scotland
02-06-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
CNN poll: Americans believe neither party can get things done
Respondents held a dim view of both parties, even as 58% said that the government should do more to solve problems - a record high in over 30 years of the network's polling. The network reported that respondents were split on if either party represented the middle class, with a third saying neither did. Republicans saw a seven-point advantage over Democrats on handling the economy, the narrowest lead on the issue in the polling since 2022 and lost over half of their advantage on immigration, falling from a 14-point lead in November 2023 to a six-point lead in the new poll. The poll was conducted by SSRS online or by phone from May 5-26 among 2,539 adults across the country using a combination of online and telephone interviews. Here's what else the poll found. Neither party seen as having strong leadership, able to get things done When asked if a party had strong leaders, 40% of respondents agreed with that description for Republicans and only 36% said that they could get things done. The survey was even more pessimistic for Democrats, as only 16% of respondents said they had strong leaders and 19% said they could get things done. The response of neither won both questions with 43% and 44% respectively, despite 81% of respondents saying they saw "important differences" between the two parties. The network reported that the gap in favorability was fueled by partisan views with Republican-aligned respondents 50 points likelier than Democratic-aligned respondents to say that their party has strong leaders while the question of which party could get things done elicited a 36-point difference between partisans. Independents were particularly pessimistic about the parties, with 76% saying that neither party had strong leadership nor could get things done. Trump approval rating: Recent polls mostly steady through late May Diversity seen as positive by wide majority Just under three-quarters of respondents said that growing racial diversity does "more to enrich than threaten American culture." Objection to that view, held by 27% of respondents, was concentrated among Republican-aligned men with 45% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents calling diversity a threat - a 25% jump from 2019, according to the network. Democrats held an eight-point advantage on LGTBQ issues in the poll and a seven-point margin on race issues. Respondents saying that abortion should be legal in all circumstances hit a record high at 36% in the poll. Thirty-five percent of respondents said that abortion should be legal in "a few" circumstances while 15% said that the procedure should be legal in most circumstances.
USA Today
01-06-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Country pessimistic about both parties, see democracy being tested, new poll finds
Country pessimistic about both parties, see democracy being tested, new poll finds Show Caption Hide Caption Trump calls Elon Musk a 'fantastic guy' amid drug use allegations President Trump said he didn't know about Elon Musk's alleged drug use and backed the billionaire's cost-cutting. Over 80% of Americans said that democracy is at least being tested while neither party is seen as being able to get things done in a CNN poll released June 1. The poll found that 49% of respondents believe that American democracy is under attack and 36% believe that American democracy is being tested. Respondents held a dim view of both parties, even as 58% said that the government should do more to solve problems – a record high in over 30 years of the network's polling. The network reported that respondents were split on if either party represented the middle class, with a third saying neither did. Republicans saw a seven-point advantage over Democrats on handling the economy, the narrowest lead on the issue in the polling since 2022 and lost over half of their advantage on immigration, falling from a 14-point lead in November 2023 to a six-point lead in the new poll. The poll was conducted by SSRS online or by phone from May 5-26 among 2,539 adults across the country using a combination of online and telephone interviews. Here's what else the poll found. Neither party seen as having strong leadership, able to get things done When asked if a party had strong leaders, 40% of respondents agreed with that description for Republicans and only 36% said that they could get things done. The survey was even more pessimistic for Democrats, as only 16% of respondents said they had strong leaders and 19% said they could get things done. The response of neither won both questions with 43% and 44% respectively, despite 81% of respondents saying they saw "important differences" between the two parties. The network reported that the gap in favorability was fueled by partisan views with Republican-aligned respondents 50 points likelier than Democratic-aligned respondents to say that their party has strong leaders while the question of which party could get things done elicited a 36-point difference between partisans. Independents were particularly pessimistic about the parties, with 76% saying that neither party had strong leadership nor could get things done. Trump approval rating: Recent polls mostly steady through late May Diversity seen as positive by wide majority Just under three-quarters of respondents said that growing racial diversity does "more to enrich than threaten American culture." Objection to that view, held by 27% of respondents, was concentrated among Republican-aligned men with 45% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents calling diversity a threat – a 25% jump from 2019, according to the network. Democrats held an eight-point advantage on LGTBQ issues in the poll and a seven-point margin on race issues. Respondents saying that abortion should be legal in all circumstances hit a record high at 36% in the poll. Thirty-five percent of respondents said that abortion should be legal in "a few" circumstances while 15% said that the procedure should be legal in most circumstances.
