Tag: Donald Trump

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U.S., China talks sketch out rare earths deal, tariff pause for Trump and Xi to consider

Top Chinese and U.S. economic officials on Sunday hashed out the framework of a trade deal for U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to decide on later this week that would pause steeper American tariffs and Chinese rare earths export controls, U.S. officials said.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said talks on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur had eliminated the threat of Trump’s 100% tariffs on Chinese imports starting November 1. Bessent also said he expects China to delay implementation of its rare earth minerals and magnets licensing regime by a year while the policy is reconsidered.

Chinese officials were more circumspect about the talks and offered no details about the outcome of the meetings.

Trump and Xi are due to meet on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, to sign off on the terms. While the White House has officially announced the highly anticipated Trump-Xi talks, China has yet to confirm that the two leaders will meet.

“I think we have a very successful framework for the leaders to discuss on Thursday,” Bessent told reporters after he and the U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and top trade negotiator Li Chenggang for their fifth round of in-person discussions since May.

Bessent said he anticipates that a tariff truce with China will be extended beyond its November 10 expiration date, and that China will revive substantial purchases of U.S. soybeans after buying none in September while favouring soybeans from Brazil and Argentina.

U.S. soybean farmers “will feel very good about what’s going on both for this season and the coming seasons for several years” once the deal’s terms are announced, Bessent told the ABC program “This Week.”

Greer told the “Fox News Sunday” program that both sides agreed to pause some punitive actions and found “a path forward where we can have more access to rare earths from China, we can try to balance out our trade deficit with sales from the United States.”

China’s Li Chenggang said the two sides reached a “preliminary consensus” and will next go through their respective internal approval processes.

“The U.S. position has been tough, whereas China has been firm in defending its own interests and rights,” Li said through an interpreter. “We have experienced very intense consultations and engaged in constructive exchanges in exploring solutions and arrangements to address these concerns.”

Trump arrived in Malaysia on Sunday for a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, his first stop in a five-day Asia tour that is expected to culminate in Thursday’s face-to-face with Xi in South Korea.

After the weekend talks, Trump struck a positive tone, saying: “I think we’re going to have a deal with China”.

Trump had threatened new 100% tariffs on Chinese goods and other trade curbs starting on November 1, in retaliation for China’s expanded export controls on rare earth magnets and minerals.

China controls more than 90% of the world’s supply for the materials, which are essential for high-tech manufacturing from electric vehicles to semiconductors and missiles. The export controls and Trump’s threatened retaliation would disrupt a delicate six-month truce under which China and the U.S. reduced tariffs that had quickly escalated to triple-digit rates on each side.

The U.S. and Chinese officials said that, in addition to rare earths, they discussed trade expansion, the U.S. fentanyl crisis, U.S. port entrance fees and the transfer of TikTok to U.S. ownership control.

Bessent told NBC’s “Meet the Press” program that the two sides have to iron out details of the TikTok deal, allowing Trump and Xi to “consummate the transaction” in South Korea.

On the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit, Trump hinted at possible meetings with Xi in China and the United States.

“We’ve agreed to meet. We’re going to meet them later in China, and we’re going to meet in the U.S., in either Washington or at Mar-a-Lago,” Trump said.

Among Trump’s talking points with Xi are Chinese purchases of U.S. soybeans, concerns around democratically governed Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, and the release of jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai.

The detention of the founder of the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily has become the most high-profile example of China’s crackdown on rights in Hong Kong.

Trump also said he will seek China’s help in U.S. dealings with Moscow, as Russia’s war in Ukraine grinds on.

Tensions between the world’s two largest economies flared in the past few weeks as a delicate trade truce, reached after a first round of trade talks in Geneva in May and extended in August, failed to prevent the United States and China from hitting each other with more sanctions, export curbs and threats of stronger retaliatory measures.

China’s expanded controls of rare earths exports have caused a global shortage. That has prompted the United States to consider a block on software-powered exports to China, from laptops to jet engines, according to a Reuters report. (JapanToday)

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Trump says he’s ending all trade talks with Canada over TV ads


President Donald Trump said late Thursday that he was ending “all trade negotiations” with Canada because of a television ad opposing U.S. tariffs that he said misstated the facts and called “egregious behavior” aimed at influencing U.S. court decisions.

The post on Trump’s social media site came after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he aims to double his country’s exports to countries outside the U.S. because of the threat posed by Trump’s tariffs. Trump’s call for an abrupt end to negotiations could further inflame trade tensions that already have been building between the two neighboring countries for months.

Trump posted, “The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs.”

“The ad was for $75,000. They only did this to interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, and other courts,” Trump wrote on his social media site. “TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY, AND ECONOMY, OF THE U.S.A. Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED.”

Carney’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The prime minister was set to leave Friday morning for a summit in Asia, while Trump is set to do the same Friday evening.

Earlier Thursday night, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute posted on X that an ad created by the government of Ontario “misrepresents the ‘Presidential Radio Address to the Nation on Free and Fair Trade’ dated April 25, 1987.” It added that Ontario did not receive foundation permission “to use and edit the remarks.”

The foundation said it is “reviewing legal options in this matter” and invited the public to watch the unedited video of Reagan’s address.

Carney met with Trump earlier this month to try to ease trade tensions, as the two countries and Mexico prepare for a review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement — a trade deal Trump negotiated in his first term, but has since soured on.

More than three-quarters of Canadian exports go to the U.S., and nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border daily.

In his own post on X last week, Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, posted a link to the ad and the message: “It’s official: Ontario’s new advertising campaign in the U.S. has launched.”

He continued, “Using every tool we have, we’ll never stop making the case against American tariffs on Canada. The way to prosperity is by working together.”

Trump said earlier this week that he had seen the ad on television and said that it showed that his tariffs were having an impact.

“I saw an ad last night from Canada. If I was Canada, I’d take that same ad also,” he said then.

The president has moved to impose steep U.S. tariffs on many goods from Canada. In April, Canada’s government imposed retaliatory levies on certain U.S. goods — but it carved out exemptions for some automakers to bring specific numbers of vehicles into the country, known as remission quotas.

Trump’s tariffs have especially hurt Canada’s auto sector, much of which is based in Ontario. This month, Stellantis said it would move a production line from Ontario to Illinois. (JapanToday)

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NFL chief Goodell shrugs off Bad Bunny Super Bowl critics

National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell on Wednesday stood by the choice of Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny to headline next year’s Super Bowl halftime show, a decision President Donald Trump has branded “absolutely ridiculous.”

Speaking in New York after the league’s annual autumn meeting, Goodell said he had no qualms about picking the Grammy-winning entertainer, who is wildly popular across the United States, for the NFL showpiece despite the backlash it had drawn from Trump and right-wing critics.

“He’s one of the leading and most popular entertainers in the world,” Goodell said of the decision. “That’s what we try to achieve. It’s an important stage for us. It’s carefully thought through.”

Goodell said the NFL’s picks for the high-profile halftime show frequently elicited “blowback or criticism.”

Bad Bunny, real name Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, had already sparked right-wing ire after saying he would skip the United States during his upcoming world tour due to fears of immigration raids at his concerts.

The Latin megastar brought a fresh wave of controversy after being named to headline the Super Bowl last month, with right-wing critics infuriated at the choice of an artist who sings mostly in Spanish.

In an interview on Newsmax, Trump, who has regularly sparred with the NFL, said he had “never heard” of Bad Bunny.

“I don’t know who he is,” Trump said. “I don’t know why they’re doing it. It’s, like, crazy.” He went on to brand the decision “absolutely ridiculous.”

Other conservative critics have joined the pile-on.

“Is the @NFL incapable of reading the room?” Sebastian Gorka, Trump’s Senior Director for Counter Terrorism, posted on X last month shortly after the announcement.

Former racing driver turned right-wing commentator Danica Patrick said separately on X: “No songs in English should not be allowed at one of America’s highest rated television events of the year.”

Bad Bunny has said his halftime act was “for my people, my culture, and our history.”

Puerto Rico, where Bad Bunny hails from, is a U.S. territory in the Caribbean. In June, Bad Bunny posted video footage on his social media channels from an ICE raid that took place on his home island.

Super Bowl halftime shows have traditionally attracted the biggest names in the music industry, including the likes of Michael Jackson, the Rolling Stones, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Prince and Paul McCartney.

More recent performers have included this past year’s headliner Kendrick Lamar, the rapper who cut out profanity but still performed a viral diss track of his rival Drake. (JapanToday)

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FIFA hopes 2026 World Cup cities will be ready despite Trump’s remarks

FIFA said on Wednesday it hoped all 16 host cities would be “ready” to stage games at the 2026 World Cup finals after US President Donald Trump suggested matches could be moved for security reasons.

“We hope every one of our 16 host cities will be ready to successfully host and fulfil all requirements,” a FIFA spokesperson said.

“Safety and security are the top priorities at all FIFA events worldwide.”

The spokesperson, however, added that, “Safety and security are obviously the government’s responsibility, and they decide what is in the best interest for public safety.”

Trump said Tuesday that FIFA president Gianni Infantino would support moving World Cup games from US cities if necessary.

In September, Trump raised the possibility of moving matches amid his crackdown on Democratic-run cities.

“If somebody is doing a bad job and if I feel there’s unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni, the head of FIFA, who’s phenomenal, and I would say, let’s move it to another location. And he would do that,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked if games could be moved from Boston, one of the host cities.

“Very easily he would do it,” Trump added.

The US president suggested that, if necessary, events for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics could also be moved.

Republican Trump’s administration has deployed national guard troops to Democratic-run US cities this year over the objections of local and state leaders, saying they are needed to counter crime and left-wing activism.

Boston is scheduled to host seven games at next year’s World Cup. San Francisco and Seattle are both hosting six matches each at the tournament while Los Angeles is hosting eight.

The United States is staging the World Cup jointly with Mexico and Canada, but will be hosting the bulk of the games in the tournament, which has been expanded to include 48 teams.

Eleven of the 16 host cities are in the United States for the June 11 to July 19 tournament.

Trump earlier this year appointed himself as chairman of a White House task force for the World Cup. (Punch)

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Trump tariffs on kitchen cabinets and lumber come into force

New US tariffs on imported kitchen cabinets, vanities, lumber, timber and certain upholstered furniture have come into effect.

Under a proclamation signed by President Donald Trump last month, a 10% tariff on softwood lumber and timber imports will apply as of Tuesday.

A 25% tariff will also apply to imported kitchen cabinets and vanities – rising to 50% on 1 January – and a 25% tariff on upholstered wooden furniture will increase to 30%, unless new trade agreements are reached.

Trump has cited the need to protect US manufacturers and national security concerns for the move, but some in the industry worry the tariffs could raise housing costs and make customers postpone home renovations.

Tariffs are taxes on imported goods typically charged as a percentage of a good’s value and are paid to the US government by companies bringing in the products.

These firms may pass some or all of the extra cost on to their customers, which in this case means ordinary Americans and other US businesses.

The president’s tariff policies have been a key feature of his second term in the White House.

Trump has previously imposed sector-specific tariffs on steel, copper, aluminium, cars and vehicle components.

The additional global 10% tariffs on softwood lumber means the product from Canada – the second largest producer globally and a major US supplier – is now tariffed at more than 45%.

There is already a combined 35.16% US countervailing and anti-dumping duties placed on most Canadian producers as part of a decades-long dispute over the product between the two countries.

As part of existing trade deals with the US, duties on wood products from the UK will not exceed 10%, while those from the European Union and Japan will not exceed 15%.

The White House says Trump’s tariffs have been implemented “to protect against threats” to the US’s national security and to “strengthen manufacturing”.

But the National Association of Homebuilders said in a statement in late September that the new levies could raise housing costs.

“These new tariffs will create additional headwinds for an already challenged housing market by further raising construction and renovation costs,” said chairman Buddy Hughes.

According to Telsey Advisory Group managing director and senior retail analyst Cristina Fernández, retailers will have no choice but to raise prices on imported goods.

Speaking to the BBC’s US partner CBS News last month, she said retailers would try not to raise prices too much ahead of the holiday season, but “they can’t absorb 30% tariffs on top of other tariffs that are already in place”.

“They’ll have to pass through pricing, probably in the form of a double-digit price increase,” she added.

Last month Swedish furniture giant Ikea said the tariffs on furniture imports make doing business “more difficult”.

“The tariffs are impacting our business similarly to other companies, and we are closely monitoring the evolving situation,” the company said. (BBC)

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Trump heckled as he tells Israeli parliament peace deal marks “historic dawn of a new Middle East”

Donald Trump was heckled by left-wing politicians as he told Israel’s parliament the Gaza peace deal marks “the historic dawn of a new Middle East”.

Addressing the Knesset for more than an hour before signing the peace deal in Egypt on Monday afternoon, the US president said: “This is not only the end of a war.

“This is the end of an age of terror and death and the beginning of the age of faith and hope, and of God.

“It’s the start of a grand concord and lasting harmony for Israel and all the nations of what will soon be a truly magnificent region. I believe that so strongly. This is the historic dawn of a new Middle East.”

He added: “Against all odds, we have done the impossible, and brought our hostages home.”

The US president entered the Knesset to a two-minute standing ovation, before several members of the US and Israeli negotiating teams had their names read out to cheers and applause.

There was a particularly enthusiastic reaction for America’s envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner who spearheaded the negotiations for the US president.

As Mr Trump heaped praise on Mr Witkoff, saying how he was a “great negotiator because he’s a great guy”, two left-wing Knesset members, Ayman Odeh and Ofer Kassif, heckled the president before being swiftly removed from the chamber.

Mr Trump said he has now stopped eight wars in eight months, claiming his personality “is all about stopping wars” – in reference to Hillary Clinton previously saying he has a personality that’s all about war.

The president called the peace deal, agreed on Thursday, an “incredible triumph” for Israel and the world to have so many nations working together for peace, and said the US joins Israel in “two everlasting vows – never forget, and never again”.

Mr Trump said “generations from now” this moment “will be remembered as the moment that everything began to change, and change very much for the better”.

“From Gaza to Iran, those bitter hatreds have delivered nothing but misery, suffering and failure,” he said.

The “total focus” of Gazans must be on restoring the fundamentals of stability, safety, dignity and economic development, he said.

“At last, not only for Israelis, but also for Palestinians and for many others, the long and painful nightmare is finally over, and as the dust settles, the smoke fades, the debris is removed and the ashes clear from the air,” he said.

During the lengthy speech, Mr Trump went off script, to much applause, as he called on Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is accused of corruption.

Earlier on Monday, Mr Trump simply said “yes” when asked by Israeli media if the war with Hamas was over.

In the Knesset gallery, a few people were wearing red hats that said: “Trump, The Peace President.”

Knesset speaker Amir Ohana announced he and US speaker of the house Mike Johnson will “rally speakers and presidents” from around the world to submit a nomination for Mr Trump for next year’s Nobel Peace Prize, to which the president smiled broadly.

Speaking ahead of the president, Mr Netanyahu said Mr Trump is “the greatest friend the state of Israel has had in the White House” and thanked him for the peace deal that returned all the remaining hostages.

He said the agreement “achieves all our objectives” and “opens the door to a historic expansion of peace in our region and beyond”.

Mr Netanyahu said he is “committed to this peace” as he admitted Israel has paid “a high price for this war”.

“But our enemies now understand just how powerful and just how determined Israel is,” the Israeli PM added.

“They understand that attacking Israel on October 7th was a catastrophic mistake. They understand that Israel is strong and that Israel is here to stay.”

Just before Mr Trump addressed the Knesset, the remaining 20 living hostages – all men – were released by Hamas to Red Cross officials, the Israeli military said.

The bodies of the remaining 28 dead hostages are also expected to be handed over as part of the deal, although timings remained unclear.

Palestinians were also awaiting the release of hundreds of prisoners held by Israel as part of the peace agreement.

The peace deal comes two years after Hamas stormed Israel on October 7 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.

Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which the UN deems reliable, and a famine has been declared in parts of the area. (SkyNews)

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Israeli Cabinet approves ‘outline’ of deal to release all remaining hostages held by Hamas

 Israel’s Cabinet early Friday approved President Donald Trump’s plan for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of all the remaining hostages held by Hamas, a key step toward ending a ruinous two-year war that has destabilized the Middle East.

A brief statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the Cabinet approved the “outline” of a deal to release the hostages, without mentioning other aspects of the plan that are more controversial.

The broader ceasefire plan included many unanswered questions, such as whether and how Hamas will disarm and who will govern Gaza. But the sides appeared closer than they have been in months to ending a war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, reduced much of Gaza to rubble, brought famine to parts of the territory and left dozens of hostages, living and dead, in Gaza.

The war, which began with Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, has also triggered other conflicts in the region, sparked worldwide protests and led to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.

Some 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas-led assault, and 251 were taken hostage. In Israel’s ensuing offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and nearly 170,000 wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half of the deaths were women and children.

In the hours leading up to the Israeli Cabinet’s vote, Israeli strikes continued. Explosions were seen Thursday in northern Gaza, and a strike on a building in Gaza City killed at least two people and left more than 40 trapped under rubble, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense.

At least 11 dead Palestinians and another 49 who were wounded arrived at hospitals over the past 24 hours, Gaza’s Health Ministry said.

An Israeli military official who spoke on the condition of anonymity in line with military guidelines said Israel was hitting targets that posed a threat to its troops as they reposition. Hamas blasted Israel over the strike, saying Netanyahu was trying to “shuffle the cards and confuse” efforts by mediators to end the war in Gaza.

A senior Hamas official and lead negotiator made a speech Thursday laying out what he says are the core elements of the ceasefire deal: Israel releasing around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, opening the border crossing with Egypt, allowing aid to flow and withdrawing from Gaza.

Khalil al-Hayya said all women and children held in Israeli jails will also be freed. He did not offer details on the extent of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

Al-Hayya said the Trump administration and mediators had given assurances that the war is over, and that Hamas and other Palestinian factions will now focus on achieving self-determination and establishing a Palestinian state.

“We declare today that we have reached an agreement to end the war and the aggression against our people,” Al-Hayya said in a televised speech Thursday evening.

In other developments, U.S. officials announced that they would send about 200 troops to Israel to help support and monitor the ceasefire deal as part of a broader, international team. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not authorized for release.

In the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, reactions to the announcement of a ceasefire were relatively muted and often colored by grief.

“I am happy and unhappy. We have lost a lot of people and lost loved ones, friends and family. We lost our homes,” said Mohammad Al-Farra. “Despite our happiness, we cannot help but think of what is to come. … The areas we are going back to, or intending to return to, are uninhabitable.”

In Tel Aviv, families of the remaining hostages popped champagne and cried tears of joy after Trump announced the deal.

In Jerusalem on Thursday, Sharon Canot celebrated with some others.

“We are so excited this morning. We cried all morning,” she said. “It’s been two years that we are in horror.”

Under the terms, Hamas intends to release all living hostages in a matter of days, while the Israeli military will begin a withdrawal from the majority of Gaza, people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of an agreement that has not fully been made public. Some 20 of the 48 hostages still in captivity are believed to be alive.

In a short video posted by U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Trump was seen speaking by phone to a group of elated hostage families.

“They are all coming back on Monday,” said Trump, who is expected to visit the region in the coming days.

Tom Fletcher, the U.N. humanitarian chief, told reporters Thursday that officials have 170,000 metric tons of medicine, aid and other supplies at ready for transport into Gaza when they are given a green light.

The deal, which was expected to be signed in Egypt, will include a list of prisoners to be released and maps for the first phase of an Israeli withdrawal to new positions in Gaza, according to two Egyptian officials briefed on the talks, a Hamas official and another official.

Israel will publish the list of the prisoners, and victims of their attacks will have 24 hours to lodge objections.

The withdrawal could start as soon as Thursday evening, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to be publicly named speaking about the negotiations. The hostage and prisoner releases are expected to begin Monday, the officials from Egypt and Hamas said, though the other official said they could occur as early as Sunday night.

Five border crossings would reopen, including the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, the Egyptian and Hamas officials said.

The Trump plan calls for Israel to maintain an open-ended military presence inside Gaza, along its border with Israel. An international force, comprised largely of troops from Arab and Muslim countries, would be responsible for security inside Gaza. The U.S. would lead a massive internationally funded reconstruction effort.

The plan also envisions an eventual role for the Palestinian Authority — something Netanyahu has long opposed. But it requires the authority, which administers parts of the West Bank, to undergo a sweeping reform program that could take years.

The Trump plan is even more vague about a future Palestinian state, which Netanyahu firmly rejects. (PBS)

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Private equity consortium offers to buy Electronic Arts for $80 billion

Electronic Arts, the company behind video games like Madden NFL, Battlefield and The Sims, is being acquired for $US52.5 billion ($80 billion), in what could become the largest-ever buyout funded by private-equity firms.

The private equity firm Silver Lake Partners, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund PIF, and Affinity Partners will pay EA’s stockholders $US210 per share.

Affinity Partners is run by President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

If the transaction closes as anticipated, it will end EA’s 36-year history as a publicly traded company.

PIF, which was already the largest insider stakeholder in Electronic Arts, will be rolling over its existing 9.9 per cent stake in the company.

The commitment to the massive deal is in line with recent activity by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, wrote Andrew Marok of Raymond James.

“The Saudi PIF has been a very active player in the video gaming market since 2022, taking minority stakes in most scaled public video gaming publishers, and also outright purchases of companies like ESL, FACEIT, and Scopely,” he wrote.

“The PIF has made its intentions to scale its gaming arm, Savvy Gaming Group, clear, and the EA deal would represent the biggest such move to date by some distance.”

Electronic Arts would be taken private and its headquarters would remain in Redwood City, California.

The total value of the deal eclipses the $US32 billion price paid to take Texas utility TXU private in 2007.

EA’s initial public offering on the stock market came seven years after it was founded by former Apple employee William “Trip” Hawkins, who began playing analog versions of baseball and football made by Strat-O-Matic as a teenager during the 1960s.

Chief executive Andrew Wilson has led the company since 2013 and he will remain in that role, the firms said on Monday, local time.

“Electronic Arts is an extraordinary company with a world-class management team and a bold vision for the future,” Mr Kushner, who serves as CEO of Affinity Partners, said.

“I’ve admired their ability to create iconic, lasting experiences, and as someone who grew up playing their games — and now enjoys them with his kids — I couldn’t be more excited about what’s ahead.”

This marks the second high-profile deal involving Silver Lake and a technology company with a legion of loyal fans in recent weeks.

Silver Lake is also part of a newly formed joint venture spearheaded by Oracle involved in a deal to take over the US oversight of TikTok’s social video platform, although all the details of that complex transaction have not been divulged yet. (ABC)

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Hamas says ready to free Gaza hostages under Trump ceasefire proposal

Hamas said on Friday it was ready to release hostages held in Gaza under a peace deal proposed by but wantDonald Trumped negotiations on the details and a say in the future of the Palestinian territory.

“The movement announces its approval for the release of all hostages — living and remains — according to the exchange formula included in President Trump’s proposal,” Hamas said in a statement, adding it was ready to enter talks “to discuss the details”.

The peace plan for Gaza, presented by Trump this week and backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for a ceasefire, the release of hostages within 72 hours, Hamas’s disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

In the statement, Hamas said it agreed to hand over power in Gaza to a body of Palestinian technocrats but said decisions on the territory’s long-term future would need to be discussed within a Palestinian framework “in which Hamas will participate and contribute responsibly”.

Hamas’s statement made no mention of its intentions on disarmament, a key part of the US president’s plan and a move the group has previously resisted.

Following the announcement, Mahmoud Mardawi, a senior Hamas official, told AFP the group welcomed Trump’s proposal, but that “without clear terms, criteria, and transparency, we need clarification and confirmation through a negotiated agreement”.

“The American proposal is vague, ambiguous, and lacks clarity,” Mardawi said.

Hamas had “made our position clear, and we are now waiting to see how the details of the terms will be implemented and clarified”, he added.

Under the US plan published on Monday — which has been welcomed by world powers, including Arab and Muslim nations — a post-war transitional authority for Gaza would be headed by Trump himself.

Earlier on Friday the US president gave Hamas until Sunday night to respond to the plan, and warned the group it faced “all hell” if it did not agree to the terms. (Vanguard)

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White House freezes funds for Democratic states in shutdown slap

President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday froze $26 billion for Democratic-leaning states, following through on a threat to use the government shutdown to target Democratic priorities.

The targeted programs included $18 billion for transit projects in New York, home to Congress’s top two Democrats, and $8 billion for green-energy projects in 16 Democratic-run states, including California and Illinois. Vice President JD Vance, meanwhile, warned that the administration might extend its purge of federal workers if the shutdown lasts more than a few days.

The moves made clear that Trump would carry out his threat to take advantage of the shutdown to punish his political opponents and extend his control over the $7 trillion federal budget, established by the U.S. Constitution as the domain of Congress.

The pressure tactics came as the 15th government shutdown since 1981 suspended scientific research, financial oversight, environmental cleanup efforts and a wide range of other activities.

Some 750,000 federal workers were ordered not to work, while others, such as troops and Border Patrol agents, began to work without pay. The Department of Veterans Affairs said it would provide burials at national cemeteries, but would not erect headstones or mow the grass.

Vance said at a White House briefing that the administration would be forced to resort to layoffs if the shutdown lasts more than a few days, adding to the 300,000 who will be pushed out by December. Previous shutdowns have not resulted in permanent layoffs.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office said it would lay off 1% of its 14,000 employees, according to an internal letter seen by Reuters.

Hakeem Jeffries, the top Democrat in the House of Representatives, said the funding freeze for subway and harbor projects in his home of New York would throw thousands out of work.

Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer, also from New York, said Trump was targeting regular Americans for partisan aims.

“He is using the American people as pawns, threatening pain on the country as blackmail,” Schumer said.

Republican Senator Thom Tillis said he was concerned that the freezing of infrastructure funds for New York could make it harder for Congress to exit the shutdown.

“They need to be really careful with that, because they can create a toxic environment here,” Tillis said. “So hopefully they’re working with the leader, and the leader with them, on not creating more work to get us out of this posture.”

Republican Senate Leader John Thune dismissed concerns that the spending freeze amounted to hostage-taking.

“Well, vote to open up the government and that issue goes away, right? I mean, it’s pretty straightforward,” he said at a press conference.

Meanwhile, the Senate again rejected efforts to keep the government functioning as both a Republican proposal that would fund the government through November 21 and a Democratic vote that would pair funding with additional health benefits failed in floor votes.

Trump’s Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority, but they need the support of at least seven of Schumer’s Democrats to meet the chamber’s 60-vote threshold for spending bills.

At issue on the government funding front is $1.7 trillion for agency operations, which amounts to roughly one-quarter of annual spending. Much of the remainder goes to health and retirement programs and interest payments on the growing $37.5 trillion debt.

A bipartisan group of senators huddled on the floor during the vote, trying to find  a path forward.

“I want to see that a deal is a deal, and I would like to see the Republicans make a commitment to work with us on health care,” said Senator Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat who represents many federal workers near the nation’s capital. “But I’ve never said that has to be all I’s dotted and T’s crossed because that could be complicated.”

Democrats are also seeking guarantees that Trump will not be able to ignore spending bills he signs into law, as he has repeatedly done since returning to office.

Both sides sought to pin the blame on the other, looking for advantage ahead of the 2026 midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.

Democrats said Republicans were responsible for the disruption, as they control the levers of power in Washington.

Republicans said Democrats were surrendering to partisan pressures to oppose Trump, even though they have routinely backed spending bills in the past. They also repeated a false claim that the Democratic proposal would extend health coverage to people who are in the country illegally. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the Democratic plan would only restore coverage to certain categories of immigrants who are in the country legally, such as asylum seekers and people on work visas.

Several government agencies posted notices on their websites blaming the “radical left” for the shutdown – a possible violation of a law known as the Hatch Act meant to insulate nuts-and-bolts government services from partisan politics.

The longest U.S. government shutdown, which stretched over 35 days in 2018-2019 during Trump’s first term, ended in part after flight delays caused by air traffic controllers calling in sick. (JapanToday)