The differences — and similarities — in the Trump and Putin visits to China - AP News

The differences — and similarities — in the Trump and Putin visits to China  AP News

Trump says he will speak to Taiwan's president in break from protocol

It comes as the US weighs whether to proceed with a $14bn arms sales to Taiwan, which China claims as its own.

Beijing holds up proposed visit by Pentagon’s top policy official

Also in today’s newsletter, how will Donald Trump deploy his $1.8bn ‘slush fund’?

Trump’s allies are already lining up to apply to his $1.8 billion fund

Jan. 6 rioters, George Santos, Mark McCloskey and Rod Blagojevich: A wide range of figures are eyeing the president’s new settlement fund.

By Meryl Kornfield

'Gaza has become a diplomatic, political and military black hole'

Donald Trump's promises for the territory, devastated after two years of war, have continued to be proven wrong in the months following the ceasefire with Israel, writes Gilles Paris, columnist for Le Monde, in his column.

Trump has created a slush fund of taxpayer money to give to his friends | Moira Donegan

The ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’ is an extraordinary example of bald self-dealing Donald Trump is stealing almost $2bn in taxpayer money and handing it out to his friends. That’s the upshot of the president’s recent agreement following a $10bn lawsuit he brought in his personal capacity against the IRS, an agency that he oversees. Trump brought the suit over leaks of some documents from his tax returns to the press. To resolve the suit, the justice department will create a fund of nearly $1.8bn ...

By Moira Donegan

Colbert's final year marked by attacks on Trump, liberal talking points and celebs kissing his ring

Stephen Colbert transformed CBS' long-running late-night show into #Resistance television, dedicating monologues to attacking President Donald Trump and elevating Democrats.

IRS settlement preventing Trump-related audits, controversial fund tough to challenge in court, experts say

Opponents of President Donald Trump's sweeping legal settlement with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service will face high hurdles in challenging its $1.776-billion US fund for victims of alleged political "weaponization" and its provision barring audits of his taxes, according to legal experts.

Kevin Warsh: Trump's man at the Fed or independent voice?

Never before has a chair of the US Federal Reserve been so controversial. Who is Kevin Warsh? Can he preserve the Fed's independence, or will he become Donald Trump's puppet?

Beijing warns US on Taiwan ties after Trump signals openness to talking with Lai

Beijing has reiterated its firm opposition to any official interactions between Washington and Taiwan, following Donald Trump’s remarks that he would be open to speaking with the person “running” the island, William Lai Ching-te. “China’s opposition to official US exchanges with China’s Taiwan region and US arms to Taiwan remains consistent, clear and firm,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Thursday. The ministry urged the United States to “earnestly implement the importa...

By Fan Chen,Orange Wang

Taiwan president says 'happy' to take up Trump's offer of call

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te said Thursday he would be "happy" to talk to US leader Donald Trump, a conversation that would break more than four decades of diplomatic protocol and drew pre-emptive ire from China. Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he would speak to Lai, as the White House weighs arms sales to the democratic island.

By FRANCE24

Trump approval sinks to record low among Republicans in stunning Fox News poll

Over half of Republicans disapprove of how Trump is handling inflation

By Andrew Feinberg

How US presidents have redecorated the Oval Office, from Taft to Trump

President Donald Trump has given the Oval Office a makeover during his second term. Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images US presidents have redecorated the Oval Office in different ways since it was first built in 1909. Most presidents have sat at the Resolute Desk, but others brought in their own personal furniture. President Donald Trump has added numerous gold embellishments to the Oval Office. It's been more than a century since the Oval Office was first built at the W...

Max Kellerman targets James Harden with Donald Trump comparison after Cavs collapse

Cleveland’s Eastern Conference Finals began with a collapse that will be difficult to forget, even if the series still has room to change. The Cavaliers lost Game 1 to the Knicks in overtime after dropping a major fourth-quarter lead and failing to stop New York’s late surge.

David Bercuson: Time for Carney to give up trying to send Trump a message over F-35s

Pulling out of the Permanent Joint Board on Defence is a warning

By Special to National Post

‘I could run for prime minister’: Trump’s claim about Israel popularity after ‘heated clash’ with Netanyahu

Tehran reviewing latest US response as Trump suggests he can wait - The Straits Times

Tehran reviewing latest US response as Trump suggests he can wait  The Straits Times

Bruce Springsteen Jabs Donald Trump And The Ellisons As He Performs On Stephen Colbert’s Second-To-Last Show

Bruce Springsteen made a few jabs at Donald Trump and David and Larry Ellison before he performed on Stephen Colbert’s second-to-last The Late Show on CBS. “I’m here in support tonight for Stephen, because you’re the first guy in America who has lost his show because we got a president who can’t take a joke,” […]

By Ted Johnson

Irish director of Kylie Minogue Netflix doc on the star’s second cancer diagnosis, and love for INXS star

‘It was a dark room and she walked in like a beam of light’ - Michael Harte

By Jessamy Calkin

Women with breast cancer symptoms should be sent to specialist directly - foundation

The Breast Cancer Foundation says allowing those with symptoms to be referred straight away could remove up to eight weeks of delay, cut pressure on primary care, and reduce inequities.

Trump, Netanyahu disagree on whether to resume attacking Iran in heated phone call: CNN

Ongoing negotiations frustrate Netanyahu, who has long pushed for an aggressive approach in dealing with Tehran

By Web Desk

The White House hits back after The Chicks’ Natalie Maines calls Donald Trump a “fugly slut”

Maines insulted Trump over the newly created Anti-Weaponisation Fund, which will cost taxpayers $1.8billion (£1.3billion) The post The White House hits back after The Chicks’ Natalie Maines calls Donald Trump a “fugly slut” appeared first on NME.

By Alex Rigotti

China’s double game: Reading Trump and Putin’s visits to Beijing

Everything may have looked similar on the surface. U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, only days apart, walked across the same ceremonial carpets in B...

Commander-in-beef: Bangladesh's 'Donald Trump' buffalo wins fans - The Daily Star

Commander-in-beef: Bangladesh's 'Donald Trump' buffalo wins fans  The Daily Star

China firmly opposes US official exchanges with Taiwan region, arms sales to island, says FM over Trump claiming he will talk to Lai - Global Times

China firmly opposes US official exchanges with Taiwan region, arms sales to island, says FM over Trump claiming he will talk to Lai  Global Times

Commander-in-beef: Bangladesh's 'Donald Trump' buffalo wins fans - The Star | Malaysia

Commander-in-beef: Bangladesh's 'Donald Trump' buffalo wins fans  The Star | Malaysia

Trump says he will speak to Taiwan's president in break from protocol - the-star.co.ke

Trump says he will speak to Taiwan's president in break from protocol  the-star.co.ke

Trump says willing to wait for a few days to get ’right answer’ on Iran peace deal - Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka

Trump says willing to wait for a few days to get ’right answer’ on Iran peace deal  Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka