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Vice president says U.S. hopes to strike ‘Donald Trump-style’ deal with Greenlanders
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Vice President JD Vance said during his visit to Greenland on Friday that he doesn’t believe military action will ever be needed on the island amid President Donald Trump’s claims that the U.S. requires control of the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
Denmark’s foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, scolded the Trump administration’s rhetoric, taking issue with its “tone” while emphasizing a commitment to Arctic security and cooperation with the U.S.
“Many accusations and many allegations have been made. And, of course, we are open to criticism,” said Rasmussen.
“But let me be completely honest: we do not appreciate the tone in which it is being delivered. This is not how you speak to your close allies.”
Meanwhile, Trump has signed an executive order threatening the Smithsonian Institution with loss of federal funding over programs that contain what he calls “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology.”
The president said there has been a “concerted and widespread” effort to rewrite American history by replacing “objective facts” with a “distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth.”
His order instructs Vance to “remove improper ideology” from the Smithsonian’s museums, education and research centers, and the National Zoo.
A woman in California is worried her husband, who is Vietnamese, may be deported after he was unexpectedly taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The woman, who only gave her first name — Khanhi — to KABC for fear that providing her husband’s identity could harm his immigration case, said she was afraid that her husband and the father of their toddler may be expelled from the U.S. after ICE detained him in February during what was supposed to be a routine check-in.
Graig Graziosi reports.
A federal judge in New York City granted a temporary restraining order on Friday to several Voice of America journalists attempting to stop the Trump administration from shutting down the international broadcaster on the grounds that the move is unlawful and unconstitutional.
Meanwhile, as the judge issued his order blocking the administration from dismantling VOA, the network’s employees suddenly received an email from the Office of Human Resources customer service team offering an opportunity to reapply to the administration’s “Fork in the Road” deferred resignation program.
Justin Baragona has the details.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen has criticized the Trump administration’s approach to Denmark and Greenland, taking issue with its “tone” while emphasizing Denmark’s commitment to Arctic security and cooperation with the US.
Rasmussen’s remarks, shared in a social media video, followed US Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Greenland, a strategically important island.
“Many accusations and many allegations have been made. And, of course, we are open to criticism,” Mr Rasmussen said, speaking in English.
“But let me be completely honest: we do not appreciate the tone in which it is being delivered. This is not how you speak to your close allies.
“And I still consider Denmark and the United States to be close allies.”
Read on…
The Washington Post reports that President Donald Trump is urging senior advisers to adopt a more aggressive stance on tariffs as the administration prepares for a major escalation in its global trade war, citing four individuals familiar with the matter.
Despite worries from allies on Wall Street and Capitol Hill about the impact of tariffs and calls for a more measured approach, Trump continues to advocate for sweeping trade actions under the belief that it will be beneficial for the American economy.
He believes they will both generate trillions of dollars in government revenue and revitalize domestic manufacturing.
Economists warn that sweeping tariffs on imported goods will ramp up inflation, and those costs will hurt American consumers. The stock market has fallen with each restatement of the president’s wishes.
The Post reports that the president has repeatedly told his advisers that he wants to increase trade measures against U.S. trade partners and allies, and in recent days, he has revived the idea of a universal tariff that would apply to most imports, regardless of their country of origin.
Trump regrets not implementing broader tariffs during his first term and has blamed advisers for holding him back from doing so, the Post said, adding that it remains unclear how seriously the concept of a universal tariff is being considered.
On Friday, the president said that he was open to negotiating deals with countries to avoid the new levies on imports; however, those agreements would need to be discussed after his administration announces reciprocal tariffs on April 2 — which he has dubbed “Liberation Day.”
A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from shutting down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson issued a preliminary injunction, which means the agency will continue to exist until she can further rule on a lawsuit seeking to preserve the agency.
Berman Jackson said the court “can and must act” to save the agency from being shuttered. She noted In her ruling that without court intervention, Donald Trump would move quickly to close down the agency – set up to protect consumers in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.
Mike Bedigan has the details.
Donald Trump is reportedly aiming to slash the workforces of nearly two dozen federal agencies by between 8 and 50 percent, according to a White House document preparing federal officials for the enormous cuts.
According to the Washington Post, which obtained the document and spoke to two people familiar with it on condition of anonymity, its contents include plans for 22 agencies.
People familiar with the document told the paper that the plans are fluid and that the numbers are not final.
That said, the plans reportedly show that upcoming cuts will have a severe impact on what federal agencies will be able to accomplish in their diminished state.
Graig Graziosi reports.
President Donald Trump is at his golf club in West Palm Beach this morning, arriving at 9:17 a.m.
This is the 18th day of his 68-day presidency in which he has played golf — just over one-quarter.
CBS News reports that staff members at the U.S. Institute of Peace were informed on Friday that their termination is effective immediately, according to three sources familiar with the situation.
It remains unclear whether the terminations affect the entire organization; however, one source indicated that the layoffs impact a significant majority of the nonprofit, including multiple departments within the congressionally funded body.
The Trump administration has attempted to freeze its funding and overhaul its board. President Trump signed an executive order in February aimed at dismantling the USIP. USIP has approximately 300 employees and a budget of around $55 million. The institute’s mission is to promote conflict resolution and prevent conflict globally.
Affected employees received notifications of their termination via email from a USIP email address.
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